The Storm Scene
by futureat
Summary: Sequel to The Start of Something Beautiful, pg-13 for the love scenes


|The Storm Scene | |Introduction: This story is the sequel to The Start of Something Beautiful, | |and also the prequel to whatever chapter 3 of this trilogy is going to be | |named! I can't seem to get away from Harvey and Bryn romances; so I punched | |(well, slowly chiseled) another one out for you to enjoy! Rated PG-13 for the| |love scenes. | |I would like to give a very special thank you to KT/Ronnie who wrote Frisco | |Dreams; I depended on several parts of her story for inspiration and she was | |wonderful about it! Again, thank you to all of the DR pals that have helped | |me get past my bouts of writer's block; these stories are no longer solo | |efforts! | |Disclaimer: Now to state the obvious. I do not own the rights to any portion| |of the Nash Bridges show. I am receiving no money for writing this story; it | |has been written for enjoyment purposes only. Fall for You belongs to Shanice| |and I am not making any money off the use of that song in my story. Also, | |Whenever You Call belongs to Mariah Carey and Brian McKnight and They Love | |Each Other belongs to the Grateful Dead. I came up with another song I want | |to use, I Can Love You Like That; it belongs to John Michael Montgomery and | |also to All 4 One, they both recorded it and I am using no part of the song | |for monetary gain. | |******************** | |Joe plopped a stack of folders onto the table as he came into the room. | |"Sorry I'm just now getting here. Inger had to go to a birth in the middle of| |the night, Lucia got sick and I was up all night with her." Gesturing to the | |case files that Harvey and Nash were now looking through, he sat down. "Late | |additions." | |Nash propped his legs up on the seat of an empty chair and read the file he | |now held in his hands out loud. "Let's see here. classy little night club | |and owner thinks the bouncer might be working a prostitution ring with the | |performers." Nash raised an eyebrow and grinned as he shoved the folder | |across the table for Michelle and Bryn to look over. "Can either of you two | |sing?" | |The two female inspectors looked at each other for a minute before Bryn | |yielded. "I'll let you have it, sister. You're singing along with the radio | |whenever we're driving somewhere anyway." | |Michelle shook her head. "That's a lot different than being in front of | |almost one hundred people, Bryn." | |Evan dismissed Michelle's misgivings with a shake of his head and a smile. | |"Come on, Chan, you'd be a natural. Pretty little thing like you, you'd knock| |'em all dead." | |Michelle couldn't help but laugh just a little as she pushed the folder back | |across the table towards Nash. "Ooh, butter that toast, Evan." | |--- | | Joe looked thoughtfully out the window as he pushed his chair away from his | |desk and prepared to go home. "Looks like it might storm tonight." | |Realizing what time it was, Nash stood up and shoved his keys and phone into | |the pocket of his sports jacket. "At least it waited until now and not last | |weekend." | |"Yeah, you can't exactly shoot fireworks off in the rain. That would have | |been a pretty rotten fourth of July." | |"Mm-hmm." Looking over at Harvey and Evan's desks, Nash offered them a | |half-wave as he walked out of the door with Joe. "See you guys later. Harv, | |you and Bryn enjoy your days off tomorrow; it might be awhile before I can | |scrape up anymore of them." | |"Thanks, Nash. Take it easy, boss." Harvey quickly glanced over at his desk | |clock and his eyes opened wide before he returned to his computer, typing as | |fast as the buttons could be pushed. | |Evan laughed at how Harvey had suddenly quickened his pace on the search he | |was running. "Whatsa matter, partner? Your keyboard's gonna melt if you keep| |typing that fast." | |Harvey hit enter one last time and then satisfactorily clicked on the print | |icon. "I didn't realize it was almost six o'clock, I gotta get out of here. | |Bryn's coming over tonight to watch a movie." | |Evan opened the desk drawer beside him and replaced several folders in their | |proper places. "That sounds nice, Harv. Which movie?" | |"Well, considering the weather, I am definitely thinking about a horror | |movie." Looking out at the dark clouds that Joe had pointed out a moment ago,| |Harvey smiled furtively as he looked back over at Evan. "Bryn gets scared | |really easy when it comes to stuff like that; she'll need a big, strong cop to| |keep her safe." | |Evan's face suddenly became serious as he adopted a fake Chinese accent. "I | |have trained you well, my son." Unable to keep the charade up when Harvey | |started laughing, Evan grinned as he stood and turned to leave. "Have fun, | |man." | |--- | |King yelped in terror at the loud clap of thunder and ran into the kitchen to | |be with his master. Leaning against Harvey's leg, the big dog shivered with | |fright. | |Harvey scratched the Great Dane's ear and shrugged before returning to the | |dinner preparations. "Sorry, big guy. You ate all your tranquilizers last | |week." The Fourth of July and now this. I think the poor dog's gonna need a | |therapist before long. | |Whining, King licked Harvey's hand and looked up at him as the fat raindrops | |pelted noisily against the windows. Smiling, Harvey sighed and shook his head| |before kneeling on the floor to look his dog in the eye. "Tell you what, | |King. You can sit on the couch with Bryn and me tonight. Will that help?" | |"With what?" | |Harvey jumped slightly and turned around to see a soaked-from-the-downpour | |Bryn leaning against the kitchen doorframe, grinning. "Ah, King. This | |monsoon has him scared out of his mind, and I'm out of canine soporifics." | |Turning the burner to low, Harvey left the stove and went to Bryn, placing | |both of his hands against her face, pulling her close and speaking quietly. | |"Hi, princess." | |"Hi." Bryn took advantage of their close proximity and wrapped her arms | |around his neck, giving Harvey a kiss. Remembering how wet she was, Bryn | |pulled away suddenly and smiled guiltily at the dark patches on Harvey's | |shirt. "Sorry, sweetheart. It's really pouring out there!" | |Harvey kissed her again and laughed softly. "I don't mind. I've got towels | |upstairs if you want to dry off a little bit." | |"Okay." Looking over his shoulder, Bryn breathed in the aroma of cooking food| |admiringly. "That smells great. What is it?" | |Harvey smiled at Bryn teasingly and turned his attentions back to the food. | |"Ready by the time you get back downstairs. You should never ask; it spoils | |the surprise." | |Bryn let out a loud breath of mock exasperation and motioned for King to | |follow her. "Come on, bubba. That Harvey of ours, what are we going to do | |with him? He won't buy you any more doggie dope and he won't tell me what | |we're eating for dinner." | |--- | |Bryn stood up from the table and collected both of their plates. When Harvey | |protested as she put the utensils in the dishwasher, Bryn turned around and | |shook her head. "You cooked, let me do something." | |"Fine." Harvey came up behind Bryn, put his arms around her waist and kissed | |her cheek. "You wanna watch the movie now?" | |"Sure. Which one are we watch-" Seeing the empty carton on the coffee table | |as they walked into the living room, Bryn picked it up and gave him a look. | |"Harvey." | |"What?" Gesturing towards a brilliant streak of lightning that had just shot | |across the dark sky, Harvey raised an eyebrow. "You can't waste good scary | |movie weather like this. This is the perfect time to watch Silence of the | |Lambs." | |Bryn rolled her eyes and pushed play anyway before going over to the sofa | |where Harvey had already stretched out. "Just as long as you don't let | |Hannibal Lecter hunt me down in my sleep." | |Harvey reached for Bryn's hand and she happily allowed herself to be pulled | |practically on top of him. His face suddenly serious, he brushed a strand of | |hair away from Bryn's face and kissed her. "I love you too much. Princess, I| |will never, ever let anything bad happen to you. You have my word." | |Feeling almost moved to tears by the devoted sincerity in Harvey's voice, Bryn| |said the first thing that came into her mind as the movie started without | |them. "Harvey Leek, I love you so much." | |~~~~~~~~~~ | |Walking Bryn to her door. We turn and face each other. I don't want to say | |goodbye or goodnight. I never want this night to end. She's so beautiful; I | |can't take my eyes off of her. | |"Harvey, thank you so much for tonight. I had the time of my life." She | |takes my hand. | |"I was so proud to be seen with you tonight, Bryn. Thank you for spending | |Valentine's Day with me." | |She looks down at her shoes and then up at me. She stares at me, and then | |it's like she suddenly realizes something. "I love you. Harvey Leek, I love | |you so much." | |~~~~~~~~~~ | |As soon as she had said that, Bryn noticed a faraway look gradually steal into| |Harvey's beautiful blue eyes. Lovingly touching the white streak at Harvey's | |forehead, Bryn kissed him to get his attention. "What are you thinking | |about?" | |Gently caressing her cheek with his hand, Harvey answered her. "The first | |time you told me you loved me. You said those exact same words." | |Bryn smiled automatically at the memory as she moved to where she was laying | |beside Harvey rather than on top of him so she could watch the rest of the | |movie. "I remember that night, too." Kissing Harvey's hand as he draped an | |arm over her, Bryn sighed with contentment. "Mmmm. This feels so good." | |Harvey raised an eyebrow briefly in surprise as Migs harassed Clarice Starling| |in the 'dungeon'. "What feels good?" | |"Everything. Lying here with you, comfortable clothes, knowing that I don't | |have to think about that stupid nightclub Michelle and I are working on right | |now; all of it, sweetheart." | |Harvey smiled and held Bryn closer. "Me, too. I can't think of anywhere else| |I'd rather be." | |--- | |As Hannibal Lecter followed Dr. Chilton down the street, Harvey yawned and | |reached for the remote. Turning the TV off, he leaned forward and gave Bryn a| |quick kiss on the cheek. "See, that wasn't so bad. It's just a movie." | |When Bryn didn't respond, Harvey sat up so he could look down on Bryn's face. | |Seeing that she was fast asleep, Harvey leaned back against the cushions with | |a smile on his face. I wonder how long she's been out. | |Coming to a decision, Harvey very cautiously picked himself up off the couch | |so as not to disturb Bryn. Kneeling down in front of her, he carefully placed| |one arm underneath her back and the other underneath her legs. As he lifted | |Bryn up and walked towards the stairs, he saw out of the corner of his eye | |King standing up and stretching, prepared to follow his master. "Just don't | |trip me, boy. Bryn would never forgive either one of us if I dropped her." | |After delicately proceeding up the stairs, Harvey nudged his bedroom door open| |with his foot and reverently laid Bryn on the bed. Tucking the covers around | |her, Harvey gently kissed her lips and bade her goodnight. "I love you, | |princess. Sweet dreams." | |Motioning for the Great Dane to come with him as he shut the door, Harvey | |started back down the stairs. "We'll be okay downstairs tonight, King. Let's| |go." | |--- | |Bryn drew in a sharp breath and jerked convulsively as the thunder again shook| |the sky. Slowly opening her eyes, Bryn looked out the bedroom window in | |amazement. Wow, I can't believe that storm is still going on. | |Bryn suddenly sat up in confusion when she realized she was no longer on | |Harvey's sofa, the last place she remembered being. Surmising that he must | |have brought her upstairs after she fell asleep, Bryn flopped back against the| |pillows and smiled, Harvey's scent emanating from the warm blankets. I didn't| |think they made perfect men, but maybe I was wrong. | |Bryn lay there listening to the storm for several minutes, wondering if she | |should go downstairs and tell Harvey he could have his bed back. When the | |only noise she heard was the raging storm outside, Bryn decided against waking| |him up. Sighing, Bryn sat up, flicked on Harvey's bedside lamp and looked | |around for a book to help her get back to sleep. | |Seeing no books anywhere, Bryn settled for the stereo. Turning the volume on | |low, Bryn lay back down and shook her head, grinning. Grateful Dead CD, I | |should have known. | |Merry run around | |sailing up and down | |just looking for a shove | |in some direction-- | |got it from the top | |it's nothing you can stop | |Lord, you know they | |made a fine connection | |They love each other | |Lord, you can see it's true | |Listening appreciatively to the song, Bryn could easily see why Harvey was so | |enamored with the band. Her eyelids had started to become heavy again when | |she heard a soft knocking on the door. "Yes?" | |"Bryn? It's Harvey. Can I come in?" | |"Yeah, Harvey, of course." | |Harvey came into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. "Are you okay? I| |heard the stereo come on." | |Bryn winced remorsefully as she sat up. "I didn't realize it was that loud. | |Did I wake you up?" | |Crossing the room and sitting on the bed beside her, Harvey kissed her | |forehead before answering. "No, it wasn't that loud. I've been up for a | |couple of minutes now. Thunder wake you too?" | |Bryn nodded her head briefly as a streak of lightning flitted across the sky. | |"Mm-hmm. You can have your bed back now if you want. I didn't mean to kick | |you out of it in the first place." Throwing the comforter back and swinging | |her legs over the side, Bryn stood up to leave. "'night, sweetheart. I'll | |see you tomorrow." | |He could pass his time | |'round some other line | |But you know he | |chose this place beside her | |Don't get in the way | |there's nothing you can say, | |Nothing that you need | |to add or do | |They love each other | |Lord, you can see it's true | |Harvey took Bryn's hand to stop her from leaving. "Bryn, wait!" Harvey | |momentarily panicked when he realized he had no idea what else he was going to| |say to her or even why he grabbed her hand in the first place. | |Bryn turned around in alarm at the desperation she heard in Harvey's voice. | |Ever so slowly, the consternation in his face was replaced by the love she | |knew that he felt for her. A smile gently pulled at the corners of her mouth | |and her heartbeat accelerated as she saw that love mix with desire. Without | |saying a word, she let Harvey bring her back to the bed. This is it. | |Finally. | |Harvey kissed Bryn deeply and unhurriedly as he pulled her to him for the | |second time that night. Keeping his arms around her as he lay down on the | |bed, Harvey flipped Bryn onto her back and placed several lingering, tender | |kisses along her neck before looking back into her eyes. Noticing her | |quickened breath, Harvey smiled and traced his forefinger along the edge of | |her ear as he propped himself up on his elbow. "You nervous?" | |Bryn moved her hands down Harvey's sides until they were underneath the tail | |of his shirt. "It's a good kind of nervous, though. Like opening a Christmas| |present." A smile coming across her face as well, Bryn wrapped her arms | |around Harvey's waist and drew him back against her. | |Harvey broke the heated, passionate kiss only long enough to whisper a | |response as he reached back with one arm and pulled the comforter over them | |both. "I can't wait to find out what this is like either." Stretching | |towards the lamp with that same arm, he turned it off as the storm continued | |on. | |It's nothing they explain | |it's like a diesel train-- | |you better not be there | |when it rolls over | |And when that train rolls in | |you don't know where it's been | |You gotta try and see | |a little further | |--- | |When sunshine broke through the parting storm clouds and entered the bedroom, | |Harvey blinked his eyes sleepily as he waited for his vision to come into | |focus. Bryn was the first thing that he saw and she was sleeping soundly, her| |head resting on his chest. | |Bryn's skin felt so warm and soft against his, and Harvey instinctively | |tightened his embrace. Looking over at the stereo, he realized with a smile | |that it must have turned itself off a long time ago. | |Gently stroking Bryn's hair, Harvey reflected on what had happened in the past| |few hours. The physical pleasure had been more than he could have possibly | |dreamed of, but the requited emotions existed on an indescribable level that | |Harvey hadn't known to exist. | |Sighing happily, Harvey closed his eyes again and thought about something that| |had been on his mind for a long time now. I want Bryn to be the first thing I| |see when I wake up every morning, not just this one. Some little voice inside| |Harvey's head still kept asking him if he was completely sure about this, | |though. Failing at his first marriage hadn't been fun, and he didn't want to | |do it again. Maybe that's why this night took so long to happen. | |Taking a deep breath as if he were about to plunge into cold water, Harvey | |decided that everything he had experienced with love before, good or bad, was | |in the past. Bryn was his present and he knew that he had to make her his | |future. Holding Bryn in his arms now, Harvey knew that he was ready to start | |over. I love this woman more than my own life. | |Bryn moaned softly and stretched, disturbing his reverie. "Goomorng." | |Placing a hand underneath her chin, Harvey lifted Bryn's mouth to his and | |kissed it tenderly. "Morning, princess. Did you sleep well?" | |Nodding her head, she grinned slyly. "Well, the little bit of sleep that I | |did get was good." Bryn laughed when he did, and then became serious as she | |wrapped her finger around the white streak of hair at Harvey's forehead. | |"That was the most romantic night of my life." She inhaled deeply and | |concentrated, wanting to memorize every single detail about the night they had| |shared together. | |"Bryn, you mean so much to me. I want you to know that-" Harvey was | |interrupted by a scratching at the door and a loud, pitiful whining. | |Chuckling and groaning at the same time, he reached for his clothes on the | |floor. | |Sitting up, Bryn brought the comforter up to her chest for warmth and looked | |over at Harvey. "Guess King wants his breakfast, huh?" | |"Yeah. It's almost eight o'clock, and I'm usually out of bed by 6:30." | |Harvey thought for a moment as he slipped on his t-shirt. "I'm kinda hungry | |myself. You want something?" | |Bryn remembered how good the chicken had been from last night and smiled. | |"Mmm, my own private chef; this is great! Can you cook bacon and eggs too?" | |Harvey laughed and gave Bryn a quick peck on the cheek before heading | |downstairs. "I think I can manage. You wait here, I'll bring it up to you." | |Once down in the kitchen, Harvey reached for the phone and felt himself begin | |to shake once he had dialed the numbers and put the handset to his ear. | |"Will? H-hi, it's uh, it's Harvey. I was hoping you'd be awake. No, no, | |nothing's wrong. Can I take you and Sue out to dinner tonight? There's | |something I need to ask you." | |--- | |Michelle was smoothing a digressing strand of hair behind her ear when she | |heard a knock on the dressing room door. "Come in!" | |A heavily built man dressed in black slacks and a black, button-up dress shirt| |came into the small room and shut the door behind him. "Hi, Melissa." | |Quickly reminding herself to put on her sweet-and-innocent act, Michelle | |turned around. "Hi, Otto. What's going on?" | |Otto crossed over to an empty foldout chair and sat down, folding his arms | |against his chest. "I want to talk to you about business. Not club business,| |either." | |Michelle bit her tongue so the pain would keep her from grinning when she saw | |the conclusion to this case fall right into her lap. Smilingly innocuously, | |Michelle seated herself in the chair next to Otto's and crossed her legs | |demurely. "What do you want?" | |"Let's be frank, my dear. You have a beautiful voice. Everything about you | |is beautiful. Our sweet, elderly little Stanley out there doesn't pay you | |nearly what you're worth." | |Dropping her head and smilingly briefly, Michelle played along. "You got that| |right. I can barely afford to feed myself. I even had to rent this dress." | |Pointing to a red satin gown hanging on the door, Michelle looked away sadly. | |"I would like to offer you another job while you're here at the club. Several| |of my clients patronize this establishment. Melissa, if you'd be willing to | |entertain them for the evening, they would more than reimburse you. For a | |share of your wages, I'd ensure that you always have opportunities like this."| |Otto leaned against the back of the chair and waited while the young starlet | |before him considered the opportunity. | |Still maintaining the innocence of a young woman wanting only to be discovered| |for her singing abilities, Michelle pretended to balk at first. "You mean I'd| |be a hooker, and you'd be my pimp? Is that what you're saying?" | |Clucking in disdain, Otto shook his head. "I'm thinking more along the lines | |of debutante and guardian." Gesturing towards the rented evening gown, Otto | |smiled benevolently. "Just think, Melissa. You could own any dress you | |wanted. You'd never have to rent them again." | |Taking a deep breath and looking longingly at the gown, Michelle agreed. | |"Okay, I-I'll do it. By the way, can I tell you something?" | |Otto laid his hand on that of his new charge and smiled again. "Of course, my | |dear." | |Michelle grinned with immense satisfaction as she reached for the handcuffs in| |her jacket pocket, which was hanging on the doorknob behind her. "I'm a cop."| | | |--- | |Evan pointed to a diamond ring underneath a glass display and looked at his | |partner inquiringly. "What about that one, man?" | |Harvey leaned in to take a closer look and gulped when he saw the tiny white | |card beside it announcing the price. Snorting, he stood up and continued to | |walk along the counter. "Yeah, maybe if I sold King as a pack mule." | |Evan laughed out loud at the thought and stopped in front of another ring. | |Whistling lowly, he touched a hand to Harvey's arm to get his attention. | |"Hey, look at this one." | |Harvey felt his breath catch in his throat at the sight of the beautiful piece| |of jewelry. The band was shiny platinum and there were two small sapphires on| |either side of the large diamond in the center. "Whoa." Although he cringed | |as he looked at the price, Harvey was pleasantly surprised. "Evan, this one's| |perfect." Images of Bryn in an exquisite white gown with the ring on her | |finger filled Harvey's brain as he made his purchase and walked out to the | |parking lot with Evan behind him. | |Once the two inspectors were in the Ranchero, Harvey tucked the small black | |box into the pocket of his vest and turned to face his partner. "Hey, Ev, can| |I ask you something?" | |Evan shrugged and raised an eyebrow briefly. "Sure, Harvey. What's up?" | |Harvey tapped his hand against the steering wheel nervously, a little unsure | |of how to phrase the question. "Well, I don't know if Bryn is going to say | |yes. I mean, I hope she does-" | |Evan let out a small chuckle and shook his head. "Brother, she's going to say| |yes. Now what do you need me to do once she does?" | |"You're my best friend, and I want you standing up there with me when I marry | |Bryn. Will you?" | |Evan felt a lump form in his throat as he nodded his head gravely. "Brother, | |I'd be honored. Thank you." | |--- | |Bryn looked up with a start as her partner slapped a clipboard down on her | |desk. "What's that?" | |Michelle grinned triumphantly as she sat down on the corner or Bryn's desk. | |"Arrest report! Otto made his move after rehearsal this morning." | |Giving a shout of triumph, Bryn reached up and gave Michelle a high-five. | |"Finally! Guess your Whitney Houston days are over, huh?" | |Michelle shrugged, but still kept the grin on her face. "I don't know; I | |might have one more left in me." | |"What are you talking about?" | |"The club, Carson. I didn't work on those songs all week for nothing." | |Although she had been nervous about this particular assignment at first, | |Michelle was forced to admit that she was having fun with it. | |"You do like being in the limelight! So Evan was right after all, huh?" | |Michelle narrowed her eyes but there was no mistaking the humor twinkling | |behind the indignation. "Bite your tongue, woman. Unless of course you want | |Harvey to take care of that for you." | |Bryn's mouth dropped open in absolute shock as she struggled to find a | |response. Pursing her lips thoughtfully, she ruefully shook her head. "Sorry| |to disappoint you; there's no Dead tunes playing." | |Both inspectors abandoned themselves to hopeless giggles and didn't see Nash | |and Joe walk up behind them. Nash cleared his throat loudly to get their | |attention and raised an eyebrow when Bryn looked up and wiped tears away from | |her eyes. "Did we miss something, sister?" | |Michelle stood up and slapped her boss on the shoulder, grinning mysteriously.| |"Just girl talk. There's nothing to worry about." | |Nash and Joe shared a you'd-better-believe-we have-something-to-worry-about | |look before shaking their heads and walking off towards the holding cells. | |Bursting out again in laughter, Michelle looked back towards Bryn before | |returning to her desk. "I'm on stage at eight o'clock. Why don't you and | |Prince Charming come on by?" | |Bryn nodded and returned to her paperwork, a smile on her face. "We'll be | |there, don't worry." | |Michelle sat back down in front of her computer and looked up at the ceiling, | |leaning her head back. Sighing wistfully, she remembered last Saturday night.| |Bryn had invited her to dinner when Harvey had something come up suddenly. | |Confiding in her partner and best girlfriend, Bryn told Michelle about how | |Harvey had come up to check on her when he heard the CD player come on. That | |has got to be the most romantic love scene I've ever heard of. | |--- | |Harvey pulled Bryn's chair out and helped her sit down, making every | |conceivable effort to hide the nervousness he felt. Crossing over to the | |other side of the table, he fingered the small, velvet box in the pocket of | |his suit jacket. If I had a dollar for every butterfly in my stomach right | |now. | |Bryn's forehead furrowed in concern as Harvey sat down. He seemed incredibly | |on edge tonight, and every three seconds he stuck his hand in his pocket. | |"Sweetheart, is everything okay?" | |Taking Bryn's hand in his as she reached it across the table, Harvey looked | |into her eyes and felt like he was falling into them. His apprehension | |vanished for just a moment, and all Harvey could think of was how happy he | |would be with Bryn as his wife. "Yeah, princess. Everything's just fin-" | |Harvey was interrupted when he saw the owner of the club, Stanley, come on | |stage and pick up a microphone. "Excuse me. Ladies and gentlemen, excuse | |me." Bryn, Harvey and the rest of the audience turned their attention to the | |front of the club and he continued. "I have some bad news for you tonight. | |Our very own Mich-Melissa Coleridge has decided to leave us; tonight is her | |last performance." | |Murmurs of good-humored disapproval rippled through the audience as Michelle | |gracefully climbed the stage stairs and stood beside Stanley, taking the | |microphone from his hand. "I know, I know. I'll miss everybody in here, too.| |That's why tonight is going to be special." Smiling towards Harvey and Bryn, | |Michelle waited patiently for the music to start. | |There's a right or wrong to know for everything | |And the truth is written somewhere in between | |But there's always something missing in the dark | |There you will find the true condition of the heart | | | |"May I have this dance, Bryn?" | | | |Bryn stood up and let Harvey lead her to the dance floor. "Of course." | | | |Well I can visualize the pieces of a dream | |And it's not as far away as it may seem | |But if truth be told it's you that holds the key | |To the question that defines my destiny | | | |Michelle grinned as she sang when she saw the sight before her. Harvey kissed| |Bryn gently and brought his hand to the back of her head, gently pushing it | |against his shoulder. She had never seen two people more in love, and the | |happiness Michelle felt for them both came through in her voice. | | | |I've been in love a time or two | |I've seen the world but not with you | |I wanna fly and spread my wings | |Don't wanna cry, I wanna sing | |I wanna live and take a chance | |I'm not afraid to love again | |I wanna fall, fall for you | |And I want you to fall for me too | | | |Harvey swallowed hard and fought back tears as he listened to the song. It | |seemed like every word Michelle was singing described how he felt about Bryn. | |I've seen the world, but not with you; I'm not afraid to love again... A | |content smile formed on Harvey's face as spending the rest of his life with | |Bryn seemed more and more meant to be with each passing second. | | | |I've had plenty conversations my heart | |Cuz I want this thing to work, not fall apart | |Oh, I ask my heart how can it be so sure | |And it answers because your heart is pure | | | |I have every expectation that it's true | |Cuz my heart won't lie to me, much less to you | |But if truth be told it's you that holds the key | |To the future that becomes our destiny | | | |Our destiny. Bryn's opened wide in surprise as she wondered if maybe she knew| |what had Harvey so jumpy tonight. They hadn't ever discussed marriage, but | |the more she thought about it, the more she hoped against all possibility of | |hope that she was right. Nothing in this world would make me happier. | | | |I've been in love a time or two | |I've seen the world but not with you | |I wanna fly and spread my wings | |Don't wanna cry, I wanna sing | |I wanna live and take a chance | |I'm not afraid to love again | |I wanna fall, fall for you | |And I want you to fall for me too | | | |Harvey again pictured the ring in his pocket on Bryn's finger and although he | |felt bad about leaving so soon after Michelle had come on stage, he just | |couldn't wait any longer. "Bryn?" | | | |Bryn lifted her head up so she could look Harvey in the eye and smiled. | |"Yeah?" | | | |The butterflies in his stomach reappeared with a flourish, but Harvey wouldn't| |back out now for the world. "Look. I know we just got here, but there's | |something I need to take care of. We need to go back to the SIU." | | | |Bryn couldn't stop the disappointment from showing on her face. "Sweetheart, | |we came here to see Michelle sing. She hasn't even finished her first song. | |What's so important that it can't wait?" | | | |Oh Bryn, if you only knew how important this really is. "Princess, I can't | |tell you. At least not right now. But it will only take a minute, and then | |we can come back here if you want." | | | |Bryn arched an eyebrow suspiciously, but consented. "Okay, as long as we can | |come back here." | | | |To the mountain snow that melts into the stream | |My heart flows like that river to the sea | |To the heavens above | |I pray to God our destiny is love | | | |Michelle allowed a small trace of confusion to appear on her face when she saw| |Harvey and Bryn walking out the door. Surely I don't sound that bad; why are | |they going already? Knowing that they must have a sincere reason for leaving | |this early in the evening and weren't just leaving because they didn't want to| |stay, Michelle turned her attention back to the ending of the song. | | | |I've been in love a time or two | |I've seen the world but not with you | |I wanna fly and spread my wings | |Don't wanna cry, I wanna sing | |I wanna live and take a chance | |I'm not afraid to love again | |I wanna fall, fall for you | |And I want you to fall for me too | | | |--- | | | |Bryn looked around the empty SIU and then at Harvey. "Alright, Leek. What's | |here that won't last until morning?" | | | |Taking Bryn by the hand, Harvey walked out onto the fantail and stopped. Bryn| |turned to face him, and all Harvey could do was smile. When he finally found | |his voice, the words sounded surreal to him. "Bryn, this is where we first | |kissed." | | | |Bryn gasped slightly as she remembered the suspicions she had been nursing | |earlier in the evening. "Harvey, are you proposing-" | | | |Putting a finger to her lips, Harvey stopped her. "Princess, no. That's not | |what I'm doing." Harvey kissed Bryn tenderly and slowly knelt on the ground. | |Every limb in his body shaking, Harvey removed the ring from his pocket and | |offered it to Bryn. | | | |Bryn furrowed her eyebrows in total confusion. "Then what are you doing?" | | | |"I want you to know that I'm not proposing anything." Taking a deep breath and| |swallowing hard - If I'm so sure about this, why am I so terrified? -, Harvey | |continued. "I am down on my knees begging you to spend the rest of your life | |with me." | | | |Tears began to stream down Bryn's face when Harvey took the ring out of the | |box and placed it at the edge of her finger. "Oh my go- Harvey." | | | |"I know we never talked about this before; I only asked, I mean I've only | |known that I've wanted to do this for certain for a couple of days. Bryn, I | |won't put this ring on your finger unless you tell me to, but I love you more | |than anything, and I think you know that. I hope you do, anyway." Harvey | |looked at the ring and then up at Bryn; the slightest fear of rejection | |showing on his face. | | | |Bryn started laughing as she wiped the tears away from her face. "Harvey, | |shut up and put the ring on my finger. I want you to." | | | |Harvey did as he was told and stood up, his face nearly touching Bryn's as he | |felt tears of his own well up in his eyes. She said yes; Bryn is going to be | |my wife. "I will spend every day of my life making you happy. That is a | |promise I will never, ever break." | | | |"I love you." There were so many other things that Bryn wanted to tell her | |new fiancé, but the words just wouldn't come. As the tears began to fall | |again, Bryn looked down at her ring and then wrapped her arms around Harvey's | |neck and kissed him soundly. I don't think I understand how I'll ever be | |happier than this moment right now. | | | |When the sweet, thorough kiss finally came to an end, Harvey was the one that | |brought them back to reality as he glanced down at his watch. "You wanna go | |back to the club? We could still catch most of Michelle's show." | | | |Bryn shook her head and smiled surreptitiously. "We have more important | |things to do tonight." | | | |The look in Bryn's eyes told Harvey exactly what those other things were, and | |as he returned her smile, the two inspectors walked hand-in-hand out of the | |SIU. "Michelle will understand." | | | |--- | | | |Nash massaged the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger and sighed.| |"Miss Cross, you've got to be kidding me." | | | |The haughty female voice on the other end of the phone answered back | |arrogantly. "Captain Bridges, I assure you that I am not kidding. Don't be | |so naïve; your Inspectors aren't the little angels you think they are, and I | |intend to prove it. At least with Cortez; we'll see what shakes out with the | |rest of them." | | | |Nash held up a hand to stop their conversation, even though he knew she | |couldn't see it. "Fine. Do what you want, but don't think you're going to | |get very far." Hanging up before Cross could reply, Nash shook his head with | |exasperation. That woman has had it gunning for us since day one. | | | |Evan glanced up from the files strewn across his desk when he heard the Nash | |slam the handset down. "Day starting out wrong already, boss?" | | | |Turning his chair around so he could face Evan, Nash responded deploringly. | |"That was Caitlin Cross from MCD on the phone." | | | |Evan rolled his eyes. "Great. What does she want now?" | | | |"Travis Owen." | | | |Shrugging, Evan placed his chin in his hand. "So?" As the realization dawned | |on him, Evan's hand dropped to his desk and his mouth involuntarily opened in | |disbelief. "Oh come on! How in the world does he expect them stick? I | |wasn't the only one in that fight, man." | | | |Nash shrugged as his eyes flicked up and caught Michelle and Joe coming in for| |the day. "I don't know, bubba, but she's coming at you full bore with this | |one." | | | |"One what?" Joe hung his jacket on the back of his chair and looked at the | |two men questioningly. | | | |Michelle flopped down into her own chair and began skimming over the papers in| |her inbox. "Yeah, what happened, guys?" | | | |Evan looked over at Michelle, rolling his eyes again. "Travis Owen is | |bringing brutality charges against me, and he's got Caitlin Cross heading the | |investigation." | | | |Michelle's face darkened at the mention of Caitlin's name and she took a deep,| |controlling breath. "She's chasing her own tail, Evan. That case doesn't | |have anything to stand on, and it won't be long before they both find that | |out." | | | |Joe offered an encouraging glance towards Evan as he sat down and perused his | |own inbox. "Don't worry about it, brother. Michelle's right; Cross'll have | |to ask for your version of the story sooner or later, and then she's got to | |drop it." | | | |Evan smiled thankfully at his friends as he fished an ink pen out of his desk | |drawer and returned his attention to the paperwork in front of him. "Thanks, | |guys. I appreciate it." | | | |Michelle returned Evan's smile, but the dark look reappeared on her face as | |her attention drifted from the case files in front of her back to Caitlin. | |Before she could form any thoughts, Michelle's eyes caught sight of Harvey and| |Bryn walking into the station, hand in hand. "Hey, guys. How're you this | |morn-" | | | |Noticing Bryn's finger, Michelle stopped herself in mid-sentence. "Girl, what| |the HECK is that?" She winced apologetically when Nash, Joe and Evan all | |jumped in alarm at her sudden exclamation, but Michelle never took her eyes | |off of the ring. | | | |Bryn held out her hand towards Michelle and waved her fingers, proudly | |displaying the ring Harvey had given her. "This is why we deserted you so | |early." Looking towards Harvey and grinning, Bryn continued her explanation. | |"Harvey begged me to marry him." | | | |Michelle leapt out of her chair and embraced her partner tightly as Evan, Nash| |and Joe came over to see what was going on. "Oh, I think I can forgive you. | |Congratulations, sister!" Letting go of Bryn, Michelle hugged Harvey and | |kissed him on the cheek. "You too, Harvey!" | | | |"Thanks, Michelle!" Harvey grinned and returned her hug, laughing as his | |other three friends ambushed him and offered their own congratulations to the | |newly engaged couple. | | | |Joe clapped Harvey on the back. "Welcome back to the club, Leek!" | | | |Nash kissed Bryn on the cheek. "Congratulations, sister. You found a good | |one." | | | |Evan did the same. "Thanks for saying yes, Bryn. I need somebody to help me | |keep him on a leash." | | | |"No problem, Evan. In fact, I was more than happy to provide you with some | |free time." Looking pointedly at Michelle, Bryn winked at Evan and sat down | |at her desk to begin the day's business. | | | |The two younger inspectors shared looks of bewilderment with one another | |before Michelle looked to Bryn for an explanation. "What was that look for?" | | | |When Bryn merely cleared her throat and began thumbing through files, Evan | |looked to his partner. "Do you know what she's talking about?" | | | |"I might." Looking away from Evan and smiling sweetly at Michelle, Harvey | |turned to go to his own desk, immensely enjoying the confused looks on both of| |their faces. Turnabout's fair play, man; we owe you two and we'll return the | |favor soon enough. | | | |When Evan and Michelle looked towards Nash and Joe for an interpretation of | |what had just happened, the senior inspectors shrugged in honest naivety. | |"Beats me, bubba." "Don't look at me, man." | | | |Michelle shook her head as if to clear her mind and looked up at Evan. "That | |was weird." | | | |Evan gave a slightly puzzled smile. "Yeah, it was." | | | |For a moment, the two just looked at each other. The thought of what Harvey | |and Bryn might be up to entered their minds at the same time, and Evan and | |Michelle stepped back, suddenly needing to put some space between themselves. | | | | | |Evan shoved his hands in his pockets and bounced up and down on his heels a | |few times. "Uh, Chan, I gotta go. You know, lots to get through today." | | | |Clearing her throat, Michelle nodded her head vigorously and agreed. "Yeah, | |me too. My inbox is packed." | | | |As Evan and Michelle fled each other's presence, they didn't notice the | |inquiring look Bryn shot Harvey. "Think that was a start?" | | | |"We sure can't rush anything, but I'd like to think so, Bryn. I'd really like | |to think so." | | | |--- | | | |Michelle hung up the phone and put on her jacket, shoving her keys in her | |pocket at the same time. Waving to Harvey and Evan, she stood up to leave. | |"Bye guys! Don't have too much fun without me!" | | | |"Why? Where are you going?" Nash walked up and plopped a stack of folders | |unceremoniously on his desk before furrowing his eyebrows and looking in | |Michelle's direction. | | | |Joe came up behind and placed a second stack of folders next to Nash's and | |cast a confused look towards his colleague. "Yeah. It's barely noon, Chan." | | | |"I'm taking a half-day today and so is Bryn. We've got wedding stuff to take | |care of. Bryn's already picking up her sister; I'm going to meet them there."| | | | | |Harvey sat up straight at the mention of his upcoming nuptials. "What wedding| |stuff? Where are you going?" | | | |Michelle smiled and shook her head mysteriously. "Forget it, Leek. Sorry, | |but it's bad luck for the groom to know anything about either one." | | | |Harvey arched a suspicious eyebrow. "Either one what?" | | | |"The two most important pieces of clothing Bryn is going to need for this most| |joyous occasion." Michelle looked at her watch, feigning impatience. "Now if| |you'll excuse me gentlemen, the women of the tribe have some serious shopping | |to get to." | | | |--- | |Bryn slumped dejectedly in her longline bra and looked up at Michelle with | |tears in her eyes. "It's hopeless, sister. Harvey and I agreed to do this | |entire wedding, honeymoon and everything, for five thousand dollars. All the | |pretty gowns are going to swallow our budget whole." | |Leading her over to the bench in the dressing room, Michelle put her arm | |around her partner's shoulders and gave them a comforting squeeze. "The | |perfect gown is in this store somewhere, we just have to let Donna continue | |her archeological expedition through the racks for a little bit longer." | |That remark brought a smile to Bryn's face, and she wiped away the single tear| |that had made it down her cheek. Thinking for a moment, Bryn scooted away | |from Michelle just a little so she could turn and look her in the eye. | |"Listen, there's something that I want to ask you, something that I probably | |should have asked you as soon as Harvey and I got engaged." | |"Sure. What is it?" | |"I want you to be my maid of honor, Michelle." | |Michelle embraced her partner tightly, surprised but flattered at her best | |friend's offer. "Yeah- yes! Yes, of course! Thanks, Bryn, I'd be thrilled." | | | |Bryn laughed and returned the embrace. "You sound surprised. Are you?" | |Michelle pulled away and shrugged, but still kept a smile on her face. "Maybe| |a little. I guess I was just expecting you to kind of ask Donna, that's all. | |The sister's kind of a tradition, I suppose." | |Bryn became serious as she sat up straight. "I am close to Donna, but | |Michelle, you're my partner. I'm around you everyday, in and out of work; | |you're closer to me than-" | |A soft knock on the dressing room door interrupted Bryn. "Hey, it's Donna, | |let me in." | |Michelle stood up and opened the door as Donna came in with an armful of | |gowns. Throwing them on the hooks, Donna rolled her eyes. "Whew! Those | |suckers are heavy!" | |Turning around and seeing the looks on Bryn and Michelle's faces, Donna was | |pretty sure what the two women had been talking about. "Michelle, it's okay. | |Bryn talked to me already and I understand. I really do. You're my sister's | |best friend, and I want you to be the one keeping her from running away when | |she gets hitched to old curly there." | |Bryn picked up her shirt off the floor and threw it at Donna, and the three | |women laughed, the tension broken and the maid of honor issue settled. | |Catching her breath and swallowing a further episode of giggling, Donna drew | |their attention to a particular gown. "Now this one, this one has some | |potential." | |Michelle stood up and walked over to where the gown was hanging on the wall, | |admiring the embroidered lavender flowers as they lay against the white satin | |of the bodice. "Hey, I kinda like this one. What do you think, Bryn?" | |Bryn came over and ran her fingers delicately along the narrow shoulder | |straps. "You're right, it is beautiful." Reminding herself of reality, she | |cast an anxious glance at her sister. "How much?" | |Donna put a hand up to stop Bryn's worrying. "Sis, this is why this gown has | |potential; this used to be a store display and they only want two hundred | |dollars for it." | |Bryn sighed pessimistically. "I can afford this one, but with my luck, it | |won't fit." | |"Oh, stop talking like that, girl. Come on, let's try it on." Michelle took | |the gown off the hanger and slipped it over Bryn as she obediently stretched | |her arms up towards the ceiling. | |Bryn stared down at her feet as Donna and Michelle buttoned the back of the | |bodice. Looking up and noticing her reflection in the full-length mirror, she| |gasped in astonishment. "Michelle, Donna, look." Running her hands down her | |stomach, Bryn smoothed the material of the skirt and felt tears welling up her| |in eyes. This is the dress. This is perfect. | |"Wow. Carson, holy smoke." Michelle held her hand to her mouth and felt a | |lump form in her own throat as she took in the sight of her partner standing | |there and trying not to cry. | |Donna grinned and hugged her sister. "I knew it would fit. So I understand | |we have a winner?" | |Bryn nodded happily. "We have a winner, Don." | |Michelle pumped her fist in the air in triumph and agreed. "Woo-hoo! We knew| |the perfect one was in here somewhere!" | |Donna pulled Bryn's hair back and looked questioningly at her. "Do you want | |to pick out a hairpiece while you've still got the dress on?" | |"Nope, I already have just the one I want. I know it will look incredible | |with this gown." | |"What's that?" | |"A tiara, and just some organza, chiffon, whatever for the veil. Harvey calls| |me his princess, and I want to make sure I look the part." | |Michelle embraced her partner. "Sister, you are going to look like a princess| |that day." | |Bryn allowed Donna to help her out of the gown and back into her street | |clothes. "Okay, we know I'm going to be a princess by day. Now I am going to| |be an angel or a devil by night?" | |Donna threw her head back and laughed. "I'd go with angel." | |Michelle laughed along with her and winked reticently. "Yep, but just the | |first night." Slipping the gown back onto a hanger, she zipped it up into a | |garment bag and handed Bryn her purse. "Let's go ahead and get out of here; | |we only have an hour and a half before Victoria's Secret closes." | |--- | |Caitlin Cross entered the SIU and looked around her. Finding the inspector | |she wanted to talk to, she stalked over to his desk. Clearing her throat, she| |tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for Evan Cortez to hang up the | |phone. | | | |Evan replaced the receiver and fixed Caitlin with a level glare, not happy to | |see her at all. "What?" | | | |Smiling sweetly but sarcastically, she answered him. "Just wanted to let you | |know that my investigation is coming along nicely, almost better than I had | |hoped for." | | | |"What are you talking about?" | | | |"Do you remember a Mr. Fortner?" | | | |Groaning silently, Evan tried not to let her see the growing sense of dread he| |was feeling. "Yes, I do. Your point is." | | | |"Just that it's now three against one, Inspector. Have a nice day." | |Chuckling humorlessly, she turned on her heel and left. | | | |Oh, boy. This just keeps getting better and better. Evan closed his eyes and| |shook his head, not seeing Michelle get up from her desk and follow Caitlin | |out the door. | | | |Caitlin opened the door to her convertible and was preparing to get in when | |somebody behind her shut the door and stopped her. Turning around, she saw | |Michelle glowering at her, arms folded across her chest. "Inspector Chan, | |whatever you need, I hope you can make it quick. I have places to go." | | | |"Oh don't worry. I only have four words to say to you." | | | |"And they are?" | | | |Michelle narrowed her eyes and annunciated each word carefully. "Drop. This.| |Investigation. Now." | | | |"Oh really?" Caitlin laughed incredulously. "Forget it, honey. I have a job| |to do." | | | |"What job? You haven't done this right from the start; had you even planned | |on asking Evan for his side of the story?" Michelle let out a loud breath of | |impatience, believing but not believing how Cross was handling the whole | |situation. I don't know who's worse, her or Bettina. | | | |"Oh I will, don't worry. It's just a formality, though." | | | |"Formality?" Raising an eyebrow, Michelle waited for whatever reason Caitlin| |could consider the most important part of this investigation a formality. | | | |Caitlin briefly raised her eyebrows in return and nodded her head. "Yes, a | |formality. It doesn't matter what sob story he gives me, Evan Cortez is a law| |enforcement officer who doesn't know when to-" | | | |Michelle had enough of this. Stepping closer until she was nearly nose to | |nose with her, she pointed a finger at Caitlin's chest and spoke with a | |controlled voice, trying not to lose her temper. "Let me tell you something | |about what kind of law enforcement officer Evan Cortez is. He would never | |abuse his authority as a cop. He would never use physical persuasion on a | |suspect if he didn't have to. He is ten times the cop you'll ever be and if | |he isn't, then explain to me how he's stayed on the force for seven years." | | | |Caitlin's eyes opened wide and she struggled to maintain her composure as | |Michelle verbally tore her limb from limb. "You can't stop me from continuing| |this, and y-you know it." | | | |Shrugging, Michelle gave a tight-lipped smile as she re-crossed her arms and | |watched Caitlin get in her car. "You're right. I can't stop this. But I | |hope you know what you're doing, because if you're looking for a fight, you're| |going to lose." | | | |"Is that a threat?" | | | |"I'd hate for it to have to be." | | | |Michelle narrowed her eyes even further as Caitlin started the engine and | |drove away. After watching the gray convertible drive off down the street, | |Michelle turned around to go back inside, but stopped dead in her tracks when | |she saw Harvey, Evan, Nash and Joe all staring at her open-mouthed. | | | |Unable to hide her surprise, Michelle swore silently as she wondered how long | |her co-workers had been standing there. "I, uh, thought, I thought you guys | |were inside. How much of that did you see?" | | | |"Umm, we're on our way to court." Nash rubbed his eyebrow with his index | |finger, still slightly in awe of the scene they had just witnessed. "I'm | |pretty sure that we saw all the good parts, though." | | | |Michelle waited a moment for somebody to say something else, but when nobody | |did, she uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on her hips. Michelle was | |trying to maintain a tough demeanor, but was becoming increasingly | |uncomfortable with the silence, especially on Evan's part. "One of you better| |say something." | | | |Harvey thought for a minute before coming up to Michelle, placing both of his | |hands on her shoulders. Leaning in close to her face, he grinned proudly. | |"Woman, you tore her to shreds. You're my hero." | | | |Michelle laughed and gave Harvey a quick hug. "Thanks, Leek. I love you | |too." Pulling away, she steepled her fingers underneath her chin and looked | |squarely at Evan. "Hey, Cortez. Let me tell you a little story." | | | |After taking a moment to get the shocked expression off of his face, Evan met | |Michelle's eyes. "Yeah?" | | | |Pointing at Evan like she had done with Caitlin, Michelle narrowed her eyes | |once more and glared at Evan threateningly. "You let me down, and it's going | |to take those three," She drew her attention away from Evan and fixed it on | |Nash, Joe and Harvey for a brief moment. "It's going to take those three a | |month to count the bullet holes in your back." | | | |"Understood." A crooked smile pulled at the left corner of Evan's mouth as he| |turned and watched Michelle go back into the SIU. Looking over at Harvey | |inquisitively, the smile turned into a grin and Evan tilted his head to the | |side. "Well?" | | | |Harvey shrugged as he gave his partner a high-five. "I think you're wearing | |her down, brother." | | | |Joe rolled his eyes and laughed as the four inspectors continued towards the | |'Cuda and therefore, court. "Oh yeah. She's really eating out of the palm of| |your hand there, Ev." | | | |--- | | | |Harvey opened the door to the Dead Room and let Evan, Nash and Joe inside. | |"You guys go ahead and make yourselves comfortable; I'll go grab a couple of | |beers." | | | |Leaving the door to his sanctuary slightly ajar, he went into the kitchen. As| |he crossed the room towards the refrigerator, he saw the phone out of the | |corner of his eye. Hesitating for a moment, he picked it up and dialed Bryn's| |number, deciding that the beer could wait for five minutes. | | | |Hello? | | | |Harvey smiled automatically, an involuntary response to hearing her voice. | |"Hi, princess. It's me." | | | |Hi, sweetheart. I figured you'd be asleep already. | | | |"I couldn't sleep tonight if I wanted to. You don't sound like you've been | |asleep, either." | | | |Nope, too wound up. I was hoping you'd call, though. | | | |"Why? Something that you needed to tell me?" Harvey opened the door to the | |refrigerator, brought forth a six-pack of longnecks and set them on the | |counter, leaning against it. | | | |Well, we won't get to see each other until the ceremony tomorrow night. I | |just wanted to talk to you one last time before that. | | | |"Me, too; that-that's why I called. I wanted to say how much I love you and | |that I can't wait until tomorrow, until our honeymoon, until our life together| |starts." The fact that his friends were waiting for him in the Dead Room | |seemed to get fuzzier and fuzzier when he heard the smile come through in | |Bryn's voice. | | | |Mmmm, I can't wait either. Tomorrow we'll be husband and wife, and we'll be | |in Scotland- | | | |"Tell me again how we decided on Scotland? I think it's a little far north; | |I'd hate to freeze to death while we're spending our first two weeks together | |as a married couple." Harvey bit his lip and tried to keep from laughing. He| |had absolutely no problem with honeymooning in Scotland, but he enjoyed | |teasing Bryn about it as she defended her choice through laughter. | | | |Come on, sweetheart, knock it off. You want a beach, we'll go to Lon Liath. | |There's beautiful castles like Dunvagen and Eilan Donnan. There's Loch Ness- | | | |"Fine! You win; we'll go to Scotland. Sheesh!" Harvey laughed himself to | |let her know that he was kidding. He heard Evan shouting down the hallway | |asking if he got lost and he winced as he clapped his hand over the | |mouthpiece, hoping Bryn hadn't heard. "Uh, princess, it's one-thirty, you | |probably better at least try to get some sleep." | | | |I heard him, it's okay. I'm having an after-party too; Michelle, Lisa, Inger,| |Donna, my mom, we actually have Kelly on the other line on speakerphone. | | | |"Okay, I'll let you back to it. I love you, Bryn. I'll see you tomorrow." | | | |Me, too. 'Night. | | | |Harvey smiled fondly and hung up the phone. Walking down the hallway with the| |beer and back into the Dead Room, he passed out longnecks to their respective | |owners and set the rest of the six-pack in the middle of the floor. | | | |"Beginn' to wonder about you, bubba." Nash wedged the cap of his beer off and| |took a swallow before looking up at Harvey. | | | |"I was talking to Bryn. Just wanted to tell her goodnight." Harvey sat down | |on the floor next to his beanbag chair and leaned his head against the wall, | |chuckling softly in disbelief. "I can't believe this is my last night as a | |married man." | | | |That remark made Joe laugh. "Harv, you aren't thinking of running while you | |still can, are you?" | | | |"No way, Joey. I wouldn't trade what's going to happen tomorrow for the | |world." | | | |"Good man." Joe thought for a moment, and then shrugged. "You know, I'm the | |only married man on this team. Thanks to Bryn, I've got a brother in arms | |again." | | | |"I don't know what you're so excited about, Dominguez. That woman's stealing | |my partner; two will get you seven that this is the last beer we have together| |for at least three months." Evan winked at his partner, letting Harvey know | |that he was just teasing. | | | |"Oh, don't worry, Ev, it's just like my beautiful, darling fiancée said. | |You'll have some free time now; any ideas on what you're going to do with it?"| | | | | |"What are you talking about?" | | | |"Michelle." Harvey shrugged matter-of-factly as he waited for a response. | |"You made any progress with her?" | | | |Evan snorted defensively. "Hey! I'm not the one getting married here, why | |aren't you the one underneath the lone light bulb?" | | | |Nash laughed as he started to peel the wrapper off of his now-empty bottle. | |"Because he was the smart one and changed the subject before you could. Now | |answer the question." | | | |Evan sighed in a frustrated manner and shook his head. "Nothing, boss. | |Forget first base, she hasn't even let me out of the dugout." Chuckling | |softly, he glanced over at Nash. "Any ideas?" | | | |Leaning his head back against the wall, Nash laughed out loud. "You're asking | |me, bubba? Take a look at the luck I've had with women, Evan." Sitting up | |straight, he arched an eyebrow in Joe's direction. "You got any ideas, | |partner?" | | | |"The only woman that I'll ever know anything about is Inger, and I still don't| |know anything about her. I haven't ever been our resident expert about other | |women." Joe shook his head regretfully. "Sorry." | | | |Evan shot Joe a look and reached for another beer. "Believe me, Joe. | |Michelle is not other women." | | | |"Yeah, so I've noticed." | | | |"So I'm just supposed to keep shooting in the dark?" | |Harvey clapped his partner on the back and laughed softly. "I wouldn't worry | |about it man, not after what Bryn told me what's she doing right now. We just| |have to hope that they are just as much in the dark about us as we are about | |them. But," Harvey raised an eyebrow in Nash's direction and grinned before | |continuing. "if that's not true, our fearless leader is in twice as much | |trouble as the rest of us right now." | |Nash chuckled and nodded his head ruefully. "Trust me, I'm a dead man." | |--- | |Inger grinned as she placed the tiny brush back in the eye shadow case and | |clapped it shut. "There. Bryn, you look perfect." | |Bryn flew out of the chair as if she had just been released from prison. | |"Finally! I think that's the longest that I've ever had to sit still in my | |entire life." | |"Dear one, you haven't sat still at all this morning! You keep running around| |the room like this and you'll pass out from exhaustion during the ceremony." | |Inger reached an arm towards Bryn to catch her and make her calm down, but she| |missed. | |Donna put the finishing touches on Michelle's hair and looked at the | |bride-to-be with mild annoyance. "Yeah, knock it off. Your nervousness is | |making us nervous." | |"I'm not nervous, I'm restless." Bryn stopped her pacing as she noticed her | |reflection out of the corner of her eye. She was still in blue jeans and a | |button-up shirt, but her make-up and hair were finished. The veil rested | |gently on the elegant pile of soft curls that spilled down her neck, and the | |crystals in her tiara winked in the lighting from the dressing room mirror. | |Wow. "Okay, you're right. I changed my mind. I am nervous." | |Michelle but the cap back on the bottle of hairspray that Donna handed her and| |tossed it in her duffel back as Bryn recommenced her circuits around the | |church dressing room. "What's wrong? You still want to do this, don't you?" | |When Bryn turned around at the sound of her partner's voice, Sue and Lisa | |seized their chance and each grabbed an arm, forcing her to sit down. "Of | |course I do, Michelle! It's just going to be such a big change; I haven't had| |a roommate since college. That was fifteen years ago! Maybe Harvey and I | |should have lived together for awhile before we did this-" | |Michelle couldn't resist giggling lightly, even though she was supposed to be | |fulfilling her maid-of-honor duties and offer comfort to Bryn. "That's what | |you're worried about? Whether or not you're going to get annoyed when Harvey | |leaves his underwear on the floor?" | |Bryn was grateful for Michelle's sense of humor. "Thanks, I needed that. | |It's just- I don't know. I don't know whether to feel scared, or excited, or | |nervous, or what. I'm feeling them all; just pick your emotion of the hour." | |Lisa shared a knowing look with the two married women in the room and gently | |patted Bryn's shoulder. "It just proves you're a normal bride." | |Sue smoothed out the material on Bryn's veil and gave her daughter a hug from | |behind. "Just think about Harvey for a minute and how happy you're going to | |be when your father and I are walking up that aisle with you and you see him. | |Just imagine him in that tuxedo; just imagine him with the huge grin on his | |face that you know he'll have." | |Bryn took a deep breath and closed her eyes, clearing her mind of everything | |except the man who would become her husband in less than an hour. A soft | |smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as she pictured Harvey in a black | |tuxedo, holding out his hand to her. | |Her smile stretched into a grin and she laughed silently as she all of a | |sudden pictured Harvey's white streak of hair peeking out from underneath his | |red beret. Bryn could see him wearing his Grateful Dead armband as well and | |even though Bryn didn't know exactly what it looked like, but she could also | |envision the vest of his tuxedo worn outside the jacket, hanging loose and | |unbuttoned. | |"Feeling better?" Inger looked over at Bryn as she finished putting away all | |the make-up and dusting a few stray particles of powder off of the sleeve of | |her dress. | |Feeling immensely relieved after her little time-out, Bryn opened her eyes and| |blinked, readjusting them to the light. "Yeah, I feel a lot better." Taking | |a deep breath, she looked over at Inger and smiled. "I feel perfect, | |actually. Also, I actually think we're just about ready to go." | |That's great, honey." Sue softly chucked Bryn on the chin. "Now let's make | |sure we have everything." | |Donna clapped her hands together twice in an official manner. "Sounds like a | |plan to me. Do you have your something old?" | |Bryn delicately patted the top of her head. "Mm-hmm. The comb holding my | |veil on; Papa Rodge said that Nana wore it when she got married." | |Michelle tossed Bryn her shoes before digging her own out from the bottom of | |her duffel bag. "What about something new?" | |Bryn tilted her head to the side so she could see the sides of her shoes and | |buckle the straps easier. "The dress is new. Does that count?" | |"Of course it counts!" Lisa placed a silver rope necklace around Bryn's neck | |and fastened the latch as Sue clipped the matching earrings on her daughter's | |ears. "Well, here's the jewelry your mom wore on her wedding day, so that's | |your something borrowed." | |"Come on dear, let's get this gown on." Inger grabbed the gown off the hook | |and Donna helped her carry it across the room as Bryn took off her shirt and | |blue jeans. Painstakingly slipping it over Bryn's carefully manicured hair, | |Inger buttoned the buttons on the back. "Now last but not least; do you have | |your something blue?" | |Bryn smiled playfully as she reached into the pocket of her wadded up, on the | |floor jeans. Slipping the powder-blue garter over her shoe, she ran it up her| |leg and let go of the elastic, letting it snap snugly against her leg just | |above the knee. "Pretty traditional blue thingy, but here we are just the | |same. Think Harvey will like it?" | |"I think he might learn to tolerate it." Michelle winked at her partner and | |her remark caused everyone in the room to laugh. | |Donna appraised Bryn's appearance, speaking softly. "Looks like my baby sis | |is ready to go get married, then." | |Bryn turned and faced the mirror again, taking a moment to give herself a | |once-over as well. I'm really doing this, I'm really getting married. | |Nodding her head excitedly, she sniffled back tears. "Yeah, I'm ready. I'm | |ready to marry Harvey." | |Sue clipped a barrette similar to Michelle's in her own hair, the final step | |in her own preparations. "Good. Go get married, and then you and my new | |son-in-law can get to work on some of those grandkids." | |"Momma!" | |Sue laughed out loud at the shocked look on her daughter's face before | |glancing slyly over at Inger. "Well, Mr. Dominguez's better half is a | |midwife. Give her something to do!" | |Here we go, it's already started. Bryn shook her head in good-natured | |exasperation before searching the drawers of the vanity. At length, she found| |what she wanted, a writing pad and an ink pen. Writing a few lines on the top| |sheet of the notepad, Bryn tore it off. Folding it in half, she handed it to | |her partner, who was reaching back with her left arm and zipping up the back | |of her dress. "Do you wanna go get the guys, maybe take this to Harvey as | |well?" | |"Sure." Michelle took the note from Bryn's hand and left the room, closing | |the door behind her. The temptation to unfold the piece of paper and see what| |Bryn had written was strong, but she resisted, knowing that it was probably | |private. As she walked down the hallway to the room where the guys were | |getting ready, Michelle wished that she could one day be as happy as Bryn was | |and she knew Harvey must be. | |--- | |Will Carson adjusted the cufflinks on his tuxedo, looking up as he heard a | |knock on the door. "Yeah?" | |"Are you guys all decent?" | | | |Will laughed and opened the door for Michelle to come inside. "Ah, it's our | |maid of honor. You're looking lovely, Miss Chan." | |"Thanks, Will. Are you guys ready to get this show on the road." Michelle's | |words trailed off as she lifted her head and noticed Evan in his tuxedo. | |Evan's reaction was similar to Michelle's. His eyes opened wide in surprise | |and they traveled from the golden barrette in her hair to the lavender satin | |of her evening gown to the straps of her matching shoes. Evan felt his breath| |catch in his throat, and he swallowed hard as he tried to find his voice. Oh | |my word, she looks hot. "H-he's right. You look wonderful." | |Harvey shared an amused look with Nash and Joe at his partner's response | |before entering the conversation. "How's Bryn doing?" | |Michelle shrugged and grinned at the same time. "She's ricocheting off the | |walls, but I honestly think we've got one happy bride on our hands." | |"Really?" Harvey still felt honored and slightly in shock that somebody as | |perfect as Bryn wanted to be his wife. | |Seeing the hopelessly-in-love look on Harvey's face, Michelle's bottom lip | |began to tremble. "Harvey, I haven't ever seen her happier." After pressing | |her index fingers to her bottom eyelashes to prevent the tears from smearing | |her mascara, Michelle abruptly leapt forward and embraced Harvey tightly. | |"She loves you so much." | |Harvey felt tears of his own begin to prick at in his eyes as he hugged | |Michelle back, and he was only able to whisper his next sentence. "When you | |go back in there, tell her I love her too, okay?" | |"I will." Remembering the piece of paper in her hand, she gave it to Harvey. | |"Here; Bryn asked me to give this to you." | |Reading the words on the piece of paper, Harvey chuckled quietly. After | |making the wardrobe adjustments requested of him in Bryn's note, Harvey took a| |deep breath and looked at Will and Evan as Nash and Joe headed out to the | |sanctuary. "Let's do this, guys." | |--- | |Harvey tried to breathe slowly and steady his nerves as he stood at the altar | |waiting for Bryn. He looked over at Pastor Donner, who gave him a | |just-be-patient-my-boy smile. Harvey smiled back and looked around the | |sanctuary, trying to find something that would distract him from the | |unbearable suspense. | |Joe and Inger were sitting in the front row on the groom's side, holding | |hands. Lucia was seated on Inger's lap, watching her surroundings with piqued| |interest. Next to them, Lisa and Cassidy sat on either side of Nash. Behind | |them sat numerous familiar faces from the station, and Harvey grinned when he | |noticed Ronnie in his dress uniform. News of his engagement to Bryn had | |spread like wildfire throughout the barge, and he was glad that so many of | |their friends from work had come to share the happiness. | |Moving his eyes over to the other side of the room, he noticed that every | |available seat was filled with members of Bryn's family. There were many of | |them that Harvey recognized from spending Christmas with Bryn last year, but | |there were still several that he didn't. Oh well. I'll meet them all soon | |enough; I bet we get attacked during the reception. Harvey dropped his eyes | |and smiled sadly, wishing that he had at least one family member around to | |even invite to the ceremony. | |The organ music started and Harvey looked up quickly. The doors were opened, | |and little Chantel Carson was the first to appear. Feeling very important, | |Chantel carefully dropped a small handful of rose petals every few steps until| |she reached the front of the sanctuary. Handing the basket to her mother in | |the second row, she ran up to the altar where Harvey was standing. After | |waiting for Harvey to kneel down so he could look her in the eye, she gently | |patted his beret-wearing head with her right hand. "I'm glad you woe yo hat, | |Untoo Hobby. I wanted to say dat befo Aunt Bwyn gets here." | |Harvey chuckled despite the lump in his throat when Chantel called him Untoo | |Hobby. I'm an uncle now; I have nieces and nephews now. This family thing is| |pretty cool. Fingering the dark purple fabric of his vest worn outside the | |jacket and gesturing to his armband, he grinned. "Well, your aunt asked me to| |wear these-" | |Uncle and niece looked up to see Evan and Michelle making their way down the | |aisle, and Chantel obediently rushed to her seat. Harvey stood up straight, | |meeting his partner's eye as he did so. Evan shared a grin with Harvey before| |stepping off to the side, still arm-in-arm with Michelle. | |Harvey felt certain that if his heart began beating any faster, it would | |fracture his ribcage. With Evan and Michelle up at the altar, he knew that it| |would only be a matter of seconds before he saw Bryn and he watched the | |doorway expectantly. | |Harvey's mouth opened slightly when he saw his fiancée come up the aisle, a | |parent on either arm. Bryn's gown was absolutely breathtaking, and she was | |even more breathtaking in it. Although slightly hazy due to the opacity of | |her veil, Harvey could see the absolute joy on Bryn's face and he wondered for| |a moment if he would be able to get through this without crying. | |Pastor Donner smiled and stretched his arms horizontally as he began the | |ceremony. "Friends, we are gathered here today in the house of God to witness| |the joining of two lives into one." He glanced down towards Will and | |continued. "Who gives this woman to be married unto this man?" | |Will swallowed hard to hold back the tears and spoke thickly. "Her mother and| |I do." Lifting Bryn's veil back and resting it behind the tiara, he kissed | |his daughter's cheek and returned the embrace his daughter was giving him. | |Sue Carson did the same when Bryn turned to her. Letting go of her youngest | |daughter, she took Bryn's hand and placed it in Harvey's, looking up at him | |through misty eyes. "Take care of her, okay?" | |Harvey automatically bowed his head out of respect for a moment before looking| |Sue and Will directly in the eye. This part of the ceremony hadn't been | |rehearsed, but the words came just as surely as though they had been. "I | |swear to God and everyone in this church that I will love Bryn with every | |fiber of my being; that I will protect her life with my own." | |Sue promptly began crying as she allowed Will to lead her to the front pew, | |where they sat next to Donna. Sitting in between his wife and daughter, Will | |put an arm around each of them, feeling a tear of his own slide down his face.| | | |Pastor Donner smiled again towards the couple, who were now facing each other.| |"Harvey Michael Leek, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? | |Do you promise to love, honor and cherish her in sickness and in health, for | |richer or for poorer, until death parts you both?" | |Harvey smiled and gently caressed Bryn's damp cheek with his hand. "I do." | |"And do you, Bryn Mikayla Carson, take this man to be your lawfully wedded | |husband? Do you promise to love, honor and cherish him in sickness and in | |health, for richer or for poorer, until death parts you both?" | |Bryn was grinning so hard her cheeks hurt, and she couldn't imagine saying | |anything but yes. "I do." | |"By wearing a ring, you announce to the world that you belong to one another. | |The precious metal and stones in these rings are as everlasting as your love | |for one another; they will never fade away or become tarnished. Harvey and | |Bryn, are you now ready to openly express your love for one another through | |this physical symbol and also with words?" | |When Harvey and Bryn both said that they were, Pastor Donner nodded towards | |Michelle, who slipped Harvey's gold wedding band off of her thumb and handed | |it to Bryn before returning to Evan's side. | |With shaking fingers, Bryn slipped the ring on the third finger of Harvey's | |left hand. "Harvey, I didn't believe in soul mates until you. I can't | |imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else. You- you're my | |everything. You're my husband, my lover and my best friend. I promise to | |stand beside you always. May this ring always symbolize my love and | |commitment to you. With this ring, I thee wed." | |Harvey took a deep breath as he removed Bryn's ring from her right hand and | |placed it on her left. "Bryn, I remember the first time that I held you in my| |arms as more than a friend. I remember feeling like I was home." | |As he spoke the rest of his words, Harvey felt like the tears might come any | |second now, but it didn't matter. Bryn was all he was able to focus on, and | |nobody else in the room mattered. "After Bon- I never expected to feel happy| |again, but I am. Bryn, that's because of you. May this ring always symbolize| |my love and commitment to you. With this ring, I thee wed." | |Pastor Donner then looked off to the side. "Now do you, Evan Christopher | |Cortez and you, Michelle Leigh Chan, understand that by standing in this | |place, you have been publicly declared as closer to the bride and groom than | |anyone here? Do you promise to remember the words spoken here today, and when| |the need arises to remind Harvey and Bryn of their love for one another and | |the promises they have made?" | |Evan and Michelle looked at each other and smiled before answering | |simultaneously. "We do." | |Smiling proudly at the newlyweds, Pastor Donner again stretched his hands. | |"Then by the power vested in me by our Lord Jesus Christ and the state of | |California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Harvey, you may kiss your | |bride." | |Harvey immediately took Bryn in his arms for their first kiss as husband and | |wife while cheers erupted throughout the sanctuary. The kiss slowly melted | |away, and he embraced his new wife tightly, a few tears finally making their | |escape as he whispered into Bryn's ear. "We did it; we're married." | |Bryn returned the embrace, whispering back. "I know." | |--- | |The crowded church basement came alive with gleeful shouts from the women when| |Harvey got a face full of cake from Bryn. She kissed him through the | |frosting, grabbed a napkin to help him wipe it off and at the same time tried | |to keep Harvey from retaliating. | |Joe swallowed his champagne before it threatened to snort out of his nose and | |turned to Michelle. "You ready?" | |Nodding, Michelle set her champagne flute down on the table. "You bet." | |Nash shared a confused look with Evan. "Ready for what?" | |Joe shrugged secretively. "Just a little surprise Chan and I have been | |working on for our joyous inspectors here. I'm about to prove to you that I | |really can sing, Nashman." Following Michelle up onto the makeshift platform,| |he grabbed one of two microphones on the stage. "Harvey and Bryn, it's time | |for your first dance as husband and wife; we need you out on the dance floor."| | | |The newlyweds walked hand in hand to the middle of the room, Bryn taking | |Harvey's hand in hers and placing her other hand on his shoulder. "I didn't | |know they were doing this, did you?" | |Harvey shook his head and stepped as close to Bryn as the thick skirt of her | |gown would let him. "Nope." He listened for a moment to the opening notes | |and smiled once he recognized the song. "But I think they made the perfect | |choice." | |Love wandered inside | |Stronger than you, stronger than I | |And now that it has begun | |We cannot turn back, we can only turn into one | | | |Bryn kissed Harvey softly. "Thank you for marrying me in a church. I know | |this isn't your thing; but it was really important to me. Thank you so much, | |Harvey." | | | |Harvey smiled and shrugged. "Princess, to me, it's just a building. The | |flowers, the clothes, none of it was important. This all got thrown together | |in two months; it's gorgeous, but it's just fluff. We could have gotten | |married at city hall in our sweatpants and it wouldn't have mattered to me." | | | |That statement caused Bryn to laugh, and she pressed her forehead to Harvey's | |as they moved in time to the music. "I knew I could count on you." | | | |I won't ever be too | |Far away to feel you | |And I won't hesitate at all | |Whenever you call | |And I'll always remember | |The part of you so tender | |I'll be the one to catch your fall | |Whenever you call | | | |Harvey whispered to Bryn almost sleepily, his eyes closed. "Are you listening| |to the words?" | | | |Bryn's eyes were closed as well, wanting to concentrate on nothing but the | |moment. "Mm-hmm. Why do you ask?" | | | |"I want you to know that even though I didn't pick them out, I mean them. | |Whenever you need me, I'll be there. Right when you ask me to be; you won't | |ever, ever have to wait." Harvey opened his eyes long enough to find Bryn's | |lips and kiss them tenderly, then laid her head on his shoulder. | | | |And I'm (And I) truly inspired | |Finding my soul (Finding my soul) there in your arms (There in your | |arms) | |And you have opened my heart (Have opened my heart) | |And lifted me inside by showing me yourself undisguised | | | |"Me too." Bryn had planned on saying more, but suddenly she couldn't. She | |wrapped her arms around Harvey and held him tightly as her tears came again, | |dampening Harvey's collar. | | | |I won't ever be too | |Far away to feel you | |And I won't hesitate at all | |Whenever you call | |And I'll always remember | |The part of you so tender | |I'll be the one to catch your fall | |Whenever you call | | | |Having regained control over her emotions for the time being, Bryn took a deep| |breath. "Harv, listen to the words too. Listen to this verse they're getting| |ready to sing. I swear that I will always be there for you. I will give you | |my heart and soul every day that I'm alive. I promise." | | | |It was Harvey's turn to be practically speechless. "Man, I love you. I love | |you so much, Bryn." | | | |And I will breathe for you each day | |Comfort you through all the pain | |Gently kiss your fears away, yeah | |Mmm, you can turn to me and cry | |Always understand that I | |Give you all I have inside | | | |Nash observed the happy couple dancing and glanced over at Lisa, who standing | |in her chef's whites over by the cake. I remember what that used to be like; | |to be so in love like they are. She smiled only briefly when she caught his | |eye and Nash looked away unhappily, thinking about what might have been. | | | |I won't ever be too | |Far away to feel you | |And I won't hesitate at all | |Whenever you call | |I won't ever be too | |Far away to feel you | |And I won't hesitate at all | |Whenever you call | | | |Husband and wife just held each other, barely even moving to the music | |anymore; blocking out everything else but the emotions between them. | | | |And I'll always remember | |The part of you so tender | |I'll be the one to catch your fall | |Whenever you call | | | |The music faded away, and Michelle and Joe replaced their microphones. Harvey| |and Bryn clapped a few times appreciatively, and then went over to thank the | |duo with a hug. "Thanks, guys." That was beautiful, Chan; you too, | |Dominguez." | | | |"No problem." Joe laughed and then looked over at his partner when he and | |Evan came over. "So what'd I tell you, Nashman?" | | | |Clapping Joe on the shoulder, Nash shrugged and grinned. "Alright, so I was | |wrong. Sue me, bubba." | | | |--- | | | |Evan looked around him at the practically empty reception hall. Lisa had her | |catering employees clearing away the last of the dishes and all of the guests | |had gone home some time ago. Nash had offered to keep all of Harvey and | |Bryn's gifts at his apartment until they got back from Scotland, and Joe was | |helping him carry everything out to the 'Cuda. Even the bride and groom were | |nowhere in sight. Plane's gonna be leaving soon, they probably went to go | |change. | | | |Michelle came up the table that Evan was leaning against and playfully shoved | |his shoulder. "Hey, Ev." | | | |"Oh, hey, Michelle." He shook his head. "You know, the first time I saw | |Harvey and Bryn together, I never thought that they would have ended up | |married." | | | |Michelle shrugged, giving a small chuckle. "Well, I didn't see them together | |when they first met, but I don't think I could imagine it any other way." | | | |Evan grinned and nodded. "Yeah, they both have been through a lot. They're | |gonna be good for each other." | | | |"Mm-hmm." Michelle sighed and leaned against the table as the conversation | |came to a lull. Looking over at the radio one of the waiters had turned on, | |Michelle then glanced up at Evan. | | | |Evan caught her eye and smiled. "Yeah?" | | | |Raising an eyebrow, Michelle turned to face him. "You wanna dance?" | | | |"What, here?" Evan looked around the near-empty basement again in disbelief. | |"Michelle, there's no-" | | | |"Never mind, Cortez. Just forget it. It- it was a dumb idea to begin with." | |Michelle faced away from him, embarrassed. Way to go, sister. Whatever the | |heck that was, you just blew it completely. | | | |Evan gently placed a hand on Michelle's shoulder, turning her around when she | |tried to leave. "Well, wait a minute. We are at a party still." Taking her | |right hand in his left, he stood up straight, smiling crookedly. "I was just | |kind of surprised that you wanted to dance with me. I thought you hated me." | | | |They read you Cinderella | |You hoped it would come true | |That one day your Prince Charming | |Would come rescue you | |You like romantic movies | |You never will forget | |The way you felt when Romeo kissed Juliet | |All this time that you've been waiting | |You don't have to wait no more | | | |Michelle winced guiltily, knowing she had deserved that. "Evan, I don't hate | |you. I'm sorry for making you think that. It's just that, well." | | | |"Well what?" | | | |Michelle looked into Evan's eyes, not remembering when she had ever felt so | |confused. Girl, remember the DAT recorder. Wait, he's not like that anymore.| |Yes, yes, he is. You work with him, too. Those eyes. "It's just that," She| |shook her head, not really feeling up to telling him all that was running | |through her head. "It's just that I don't hate you, Evan." | | | |I can love you like that | |I would make you my world | |Move Heaven and Earth if you were my girl | |I will give you my heart | |Be all that you need | |Show you you're everything that's precious to me | |If you give me a chance | |I can love you like that | | | |"I'm glad." Taking a chance, he stepped closer to Michelle, holding her | |tighter. "So, do you think they're right?" | | | |Everything inside Michelle screamed at her to put some distance between Evan | |and herself, but she didn't. "Think who's right?" | | | |"Harvey and Bryn. Do you think they're wasting their time?" Before two | |minutes ago, Evan would have sworn he knew what she would have said, but he | |honestly had no idea now. | | | |Michelle breathed deeply and sighed. "Evan, I don't know. I really don't." | | | | | |Evan wanted to ask her out for coffee, for dinner, anything, but he knew | |better than to press the issue right now. "It's alright, Chan." Remembering | |the gift Harvey and Bryn had given him and Michelle during the reception, he | |laughed quietly. "But a DVD of When Harry Met Sally probably has our beloved | |newlyweds thinking otherwise, though." | | | |I never make a promise I don't intend to keep | |So when I say forever, forever's what I mean | |I'm no Casanova but I swear this much is true | |I'll be holdin' nothin' back when it comes to you | |You dream of love that's everlasting | |Well baby open up your eyes | | | |Nash bent down to pick up another gift bag and stopped in his tracks. "Hey | |bubba, look at that, would you?" | | | |Seeing Evan and Michelle dancing like they were, Joe let out a low, soft | |whistle. "Well, I guess snowballs can survive in Arizona now." | | | |Harvey came up to Nash and Joe, hand in hand with Bryn. "Whatcha talking | |'bout, Master Joseph?" | | | |Nash nodded towards the dancing couple, who were oblivious of their audience. | |"Those two. I never thought that Michelle would ever let something like that | |happen." | | | |Bryn readjusted the shoulder strap on her duffel bag and shrugged. "Stranger | |things have happened, Nash. Granted I can't think of any right now." | | | |I can love you like that | |I would make you my world | |Move Heaven and Earth if you were my girl | |I will give you my heart | |Be all that you need | |Show you you're everything that's precious to me | |If you give me a chance | |I can love you like that | | | |You want tenderness-I got tenderness | |And I see through to the heart of you | |If you want a man who understands | |You don't have to look very far | | | |Michelle didn't open her eyes, but felt somebody watching them all the same. | |"You know they're staring at us, don't you?" | | | |"Do you care?" | | | |Michelle felt the war of emotions within her come to a cease-fire for the | |moment. "Not right now, I don't." | | | |I can love you | |I can | |I can love you like that | |I would make you my world | |Move Heaven and Earth if you were my girl | |I will give you my heart | |Be all that you need | |Show you you're everything that's precious to me | |I can love you like that | |I would make you my world | |Move Heaven and Earth if you were my girl | |I will give you my heart | |Be all that you need | |Show you you're everything that's precious to me | |I can love you like that | |I would make you my world | |Move Heaven and Earth if you were my girl | | | |Nearly shaking with nervousness, Evan pulled back from his cheek-to-cheek | |position with Michelle. He gently kissed the corner of her mouth and laughed | |softly when she reciprocated. "What in the world are we going to say to them | |when we go back over there?" | | | |Michelle smiled and laid her head back against Evan's shoulder. "I don't have| |the slightest idea, Cortez." | | | |--- | | | |Harvey slid the keycard into the lock and then back into his pocket. Nudging | |the door open with his foot, he turned around and scooped Bryn into his arms. | |"Time to carry you across the threshold, princess." | | | |Bryn smiled softly and kissed Harvey. "I'm ready." As they came into the | |suite, she gasped in wonderment. "Wow! Harvey, this is gorgeous!" | | | |Harvey set Bryn down and looked from the plush canopy bed to the Jacuzzi to | |the enormous bay window that introduced a breathtaking view of an Isle of Skye| |sunset. "You're right, Bryn. But don't act so surprised; you're the one that| |planned all of this." | | | |"I know. This was just so much more than they told me to expect, though." | |Digging through the suitcases the hotel staff had already brought up, Bryn | |found exactly what she was looking for. Her nightgown in hand, she stood up, | |a sly look on her face. "Wait here. I'll show you what else I have planned."| | | | | |Harvey stopped Bryn from making her way to the bathroom by placing an arm | |around her waist and speaking to her in between kisses. "Hurry- I don't know-| |I don't know how long I can- I can wait." | | | |Bryn half-heartedly tried to fend off Harvey's affections. "Just think- the | |longer I make you- make you wait, the- sweeter it's going- to be." Harvey | |pulled away from his new wife and fixated her with sad, puppy-dog eyes. | |Laughing at his pitiful expression, Bryn kissed him quickly and removed | |herself from his grasp. "I'll hurry. I promise." | | | |Grinning, Harvey stepped back and let her go into the bathroom to change. | |Exploring the room further, he saw a silver bucket filled with ice cubes and a| |bottle of champagne. Opening the door to the mini-refrigerator, he spied two | |bowls. One was filled with whipped cream and the other filled was filled with| |a mixture of maraschino cherries and strawberries and he set them on the table| |next to the champagne flutes. | | | |Bryn came back into the room and gestured towards the edible goodies her | |husband had found. "What are we supposed to do with those?" As if I couldn't| |guess. | | | |Harvey came over to Bryn, hungrily eyeing the cream silk of the nightgown she | |was now wearing. Taking his wife by the hand, he slowly brought her over to | |the bed. "I'll show you." | | | |--- | | | |"Uh, excuse me. Can you tell me where I might find Inspector Leek?" The | |nervous little courier fidgeted impatiently as he waited for Inspector Cortez | |to get off of the phone. | | | |Evan hung up the phone and shook his head apologetically. "No, I'm sorry. | |He's actually out of town for the next couple of days. Is there something I | |can help you with?" | | | |The man looked down at his clipboard anxiously. "I have a certified letter | |that I need Inspector Leek to sign for. It- it's very important that he gets | |it. I was given strict instructions by my manager to make sure that he gets | |it." | | | |"Ah, no problem. I'm his partner, I can keep it safe until he gets back." | |Evan reached for the clipboard and scribbled his name in the indicated blank. | | | |The courier gratefully accepted his clipboard back "Thank you. I'm in a bit | |of a hurry." He dropped a thick white envelope on Evan's desk and practically| |fled out of the station. | | | |That was weird. Evan shrugged quickly and turned the envelope over, wondering| |what could have been so important. His eyebrows furrowed in concern when he | |saw no return address on the envelope. This is certified; I thought they were| |required. | | | |Suddenly, for no explicable reason, Evan felt his blood run ice cold. | |Coletti. I don't know why, but it's him. I know it. | | | |He needed to find out every detail about Coletti that he could, and he hoped | |that he hadn't missed his chance, that the courier had already left. Letter | |in hand, he leapt from his desk and practically ran into Michelle. "S-sorry."| | | | | |Michelle had the beginnings of a baleful glare on her face, but stopped when | |she noticed the concern on Evan's face. "What's wrong?" | | | |Evan thrust the envelope into Michelle's hands before running out of the | |station. "Here, take this to Nash and Joe; I'll be back as soon as I can. | |This guy, the guy that sent whatever is in this envelope, I think he's coming | |after Harvey." | | | |******************** | | | |Phew! I was beginning to think I would never get this one finished. Thank | |you to everybody that kept yelping at me to hurry up with it, otherwise it | |probably would have died a long time ago! The third and final chapter to this| |trilogy is being outlined right now! Reviews are ALWAYS welcome! | | |  
  



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